Verin Mathwin

Author: Alyria

General

Verin Sedai is an Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah. She is originally from Far Madding (TPoD, Prologue). She once had a Warder named Balinor, but ten years after his death she bonded her current Warder, Tomas. She spent five years as a novice and six as an Accepted (LoC, Ch. 43). Verin’s intentions and goals are never made clear throughout the series, yet it is certain that she has chosen to center herself on Rand, Mat, and Perrin (three ta’veren).

Verin has often been described to resemble a plump bird or a “sparrow.” She is apparently very old (even for an Aes Sedai) because it has been noted that she has gray streaks in her brown hair (TDR, Ch. 11). Verin, like most Browns, always appears to be lost in thought and relatively unaware of the world beyond her studies. However, it has been noted repeatedly that Verin can lose her ambiguity in an instant and show a startling amount of alertness (TGH, Ch. 7 and12, TSR, Ch. 31), which leads one to believe that her pensiveness may only be an act, possibly to throw others off. Moiraine Sedai told Rand in a letter not to trust Verin (TFoH, Ch. 53), and the afore-mentioned may very well be why.

Timeline

• Verin deduces that Rand, Mat, and Perrin are ta’veren and that Rand is the Dragon Reborn while she is in Lord Agelmar’s palace in Shienar (TGH, Ch. 7), and then chooses to stay close to at least one of the three men at all times.

• She travels with Mat and Perrin while they were with Ingtar’s army as the group attempts to hunt down Padan Fain, who escaped from Lord Agelmar’s dungeon with the Horn of Valere and the Shadar Logoth dagger that is needed to save Mat’s life (TGH).

• From Tar Valon where she delivers the Horn of Valere, Verin and Alanna Mosvani travel to the Two Rivers under the pretense that they are searching for old folk tales, but admit to Perrin that the two are actually there to look for potential novices (TSR, Ch. 30).

• While in Emond’s Field, Verin and Alanna help the village defend itself against several Myrddraal-driven Trolloc attacks by way of using catapults and Power-exploding boulders, and by other methods such as fireballs. Verin also Heals many of the villagers after the battles (TSR, Ch. 56).

• From there, Verin and Alanna travel to Caemlyn en route to the White Tower with a hoard of girls from the Two Rivers (LoC, Ch. 10). En route they heard rumors in Whitebridge that the Tower is broken, but receive confirmation from Rand.

• They proceed to join with an embassy from Salidar headed by Merana Sedai. However, in short time it is Verin who is controlling the delegation instead of Merana until the arrival of Bera Sedai and Kiruna Sedai (LoC, Ch. 46).

• Verin, along with eight others from the said delegation, join with Perrin to rescue Rand at Dumai’s Wells (LoC, Ch. 54). She also takes part in the fighting at Dumai’s Wells (ACoS, Ch. 1).

• She and the group she is with return to Cairhien with the Aes Sedai who captured Rand and who have now been made prisoners. She and her group have all been forced to swear oaths of fealty to Rand. Verin spends a good deal of time in the Aiel camps questioning the prisoners to determine what their intentions with Rand were to be once they reached Tar Valon (ACoS, Ch. 34). She also uses a form of Compulsion on them (TPoD, Prologue).

• Verin is present when Rand uses the Choedan Kal, and plays a part by forming a circle with Shalon and Kumira. She also faces one of the Forsaken, Graendal, while she is there (WH, Ch. 35).

• Verin travels to Tear with Rand and stays with him and others, including Cadsuane, in Lord Algarin’s manor. While there she “delivers” the Sea Folk to Tear (CoT, Ch. 23).

• She remains with Rand in Lord Algain’s manor (KoD, Ch. 18), until she suddenly leaves with Tomas, leaving behind only a note to Rand urging him to “be wary” (KoD, Ch. 20). It is not certain where she is at this time.

Relationships

Verin is present when Mat Cauthon is healed of the damage caused by carrying the Shadar Logoth dagger (TDR, Ch. 17).

She gives Egwene papers on all that is known about Liandrin Sedai and the twelve other Black sisters who left the Tower with her, as well as a dream ter’angreal.

Verin is one of few Aes Sedai who knows of Min’s talent, as she once studied her (TSR, Ch. 1).

While Morgase was training in the Tower, Verin told her that “there was hardly any need for the Tower to hold her until she learned to handle her tiny ability safely” (LoC, Prologue).

Verin is one of the few Aes Sedai that Cadsuane Melaidhrin seems to get along with, perhaps because they are both particularly old, or perhaps because they are both from Far Madding: “[Cadsuane] drew Verin a little distance away, and the pair of them put their heads together.” (WH, Ch. 23). Verin thinks of poisoning Cadsuane at one point, but only to protect Rand (WH, Ch. 25).

Along with several other after the fighting at Dumai’s Wells, Verin swore fealty to Rand (LoC, Ch. 55).

Strengths and Talents

She is of equal strength with Merana Ambrey (LoC, Ch. 43).

Like all of the Brown Ajah, Verin’s strength’s lie in study and research. Though it is not specifically known what her area of expertise is, it is known that she is knowledgeable on subjects such as the Pattern (including Portal Stones), Tel’aran’rhiod (TDR, Ch. 21), and the Dragon Reborn.

She has some talent with the weather, as she calls upon a storm to hide Perrin and his group when they rescue fellow Emond’s Fielders from the Whitecloaks. (TSR, Ch. 40).

She also has a decent ability with Healing, yet Alanna is stronger than her (TSR, Ch. 43).

Verin also has used a weave that is very similar to the Tower-forbidden Compulsion, yet she claims it is “not truly Compulsion as ancient texts described it” (TPoD, Prologue). She learned the weave by questioning wilders who had developed a form of it before reaching the White Tower. Verin has apparently used this weave before, but for a fact it is known that she used it to give instructions to the Aes Sedai prisoners who captured Rand. These instructions, however, are never detailed, but there are some theories as to what they are. Another useful aspect of the weave is that it serves “to loosen the tongue and open the mind as well as any herb ever could” (TPoD, Prologue) which Verin uses to gain information that would otherwise be hidden from her. The weave is unusual in that the recipient needs to be trusting of Verin, and sufficiently shaken and therefore vulnerable to suggestions. Also, it seems to work best after the recipient is Healed. Verin believes that if the Tower found out that she used this weave, she could very well be stilled (TPoD, Prologue).

Miscellaneous

• Verin can read Trolloc script (TGH, Ch. 5).

• She used to have the cook of the White Tower leave sweets out for Moiraine Sedai and Siuan Sedai when the latter two were novices together (TGH, Ch. 7).

• She knows how to use Portal Stones. “‘The Brown Ajah knows many things," Verin said dryly, "and I know how the Stones may be used.’” (TGH, Ch. 36).

• She keeps a pet owl in her room in the White Tower to keep out mice (TDR, Ch. 21).

• Verin keeps a notebook in which she writes everything she finds important, yet it is all in her own code. “‘I have the habit of noting down what I see.’ One day she would have to write out the cipher she used in her notebooks — a lifetime’s worth of them filled cupboards and chests in her rooms above the White Tower library — one day, but she hoped not soon.” (TPoD, Prologue).

• She keeps a small angreal in her pouch: “a small brooch, a translucent stone carved into what appeared to be a lily with too many petals. She never wore it, but it had not been out of her reach in nearly fifty years.” (TPoD, Prologue).

• She also goes by the alias Eadwina (WH, Ch. 24).

• It is not known why, but she was also exiled from Far Madding, her home city. It is known, however, that she “fell afoul of the law” (WH, Ch. 25).

• It has been proposed that Verin may secretly be Black Ajah, partly because of her use of a weave so similar to Compulsion, and partly because she almost poisons Cadsuane, but decides not to: “Hastily filling a second cup, Verin slipped the small vial back into her pouch unopened. It was good to be sure of Cadsuane at last” (WH, Ch. 25) is among other subtle hints. Nothing has been confirmed, but the idea is generally dismissed.

Quotes

“If Verin paid little heed to her clothes, though, her dark eyes were sharp enough. They latched on to Rand as tightly as mussels on a rock.” (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 10).

“Well, Verin thought dryly, I have broken a few customs in my time.” (Verin considering Alanna bonding Rand; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 11).

“Verin merely sipped her tea and watched; Verin’s eyes could be most disconcerting.” (Merana about Verin; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 53).

“Verin already had reasons for the path she followed, and purpose.” (The Path of Daggers, Prologue).

“Seventy-one years had passed since she had last made a serious mistake.” (The Path of Daggers, Prologue).

“Verin put on a warm smile. A fellow had once told her that her smile made him think of his dear mother. She hoped he had not been lying about that, at least. He had tried to slide a dagger between her ribs a little later, and her smile had been the last thing he ever saw.” (The Path of Dagger, Prologue).

“Verin was not nearly so vague as she pretended. Some Browns really were capable of tripping over their own feet from not noticing them, but Verin was one of those who wore an assumed cloak of unworldliness.” (Cadsuane about Verin; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 23).